Alma man pleads not guilty to sexual assault charge, case delayed so he can get a lawyer

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. - An Alma man is facing a number of charges, including sexual assault, relating to an incident in Prince County, in November, 2018.

Matthew Leo Dunbar, 33, has been charged with one count of sexual assault, one count of unlawfully being in a dwelling with intent to commit an indictable offence, one count of operating a motor vehicle while disqualified from doing so and two counts of breaching his probation.

Dunbar made a brief court appearance Thursday where he pleaded not guilty to the charges and elected to be tried by provincial court judge alone.

He informed the court that he is still trying to secure the services of a lawyer. Judge Jeff Lantz agreed to give him another week to do so and rescheduled the case for Jan. 17 for a further update. No trial date has been set yet, though the Crown estimated the proceedings would take about a day and involve at least three witnesses.

Dunbar has been in custody since his arrest and remains there.

There is a court ordered publication ban in this case forbidding anyone from publishing any information that could reveal the identity of the victim.